Racketball or tennis racket having a tubular metal frame

ABSTRACT

RACQUETBALL AND TENNIS RACQUETS HAVING FRAMES FORMED OF A LENGTH OF METAL, PREFERABLY ALUMINUM, TUBING OR EXTRUSION, THE END PORTIONS OF WHICH EXTEND PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER AND ARE WELDED TOGETHER TO FORM THE HANDLE AND SHAFT PORTIONS OF THE RACQUET AND THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF WHICH FORMS THE FRAME OF THE RACQUET. THE FRAME IS COMPLETED BY A THROAT PIECE WHICH SPANS THE DIVERGING PORTIONS OF THE TUBING IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE SHAFT. A SLOT IS PROVIDED IN THE TUBING ALONG THE UPPER HALF OF THE RACQUET TO ALTER THE RESPONSE FREQUENCY OF THE FRAME SO THAT IT COINCIDES WITH THAT OF THE BALL. HOLES ARE PROVIDED IN THE TUBING OF THE RACQUET AND IN THE THROAT PIECE TO RECEIVE THE RACQUET STRINGS. HOLLOW RIVETS OR BUSHINGS MAY BE PROVIDED IN THESE HOLES TO PREVENT CUTTING OF THE STRINGS BY THE EDGES OF THE HOLES. A LENGTH OF RUBBER OR PLASTIC MAY BE POSITIONED IN THE SLOT OF THE FRAME TO ADD WEIGHT TO THE RACQUET AND FOR PROTECTIVE PURPOSES.

May 23, 1972 F. w. HELD 3,664,663

RACKETBALL OR TENNIS RACKLT HAVING A TUBULAR METAL FRAME Filed April 5, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 YJI F I l "IIIII'AIIIIIIIIVA l t- .A 4 O w I G ylgltllllllllllly 4 o --.-n-------- FIG. 2

INVENTOR. FRANKLIN W. HELD i/ 42. f ATTOR N E Y S y 3, 1972 F. w. HELD 3,664,668

RACKETBALL 0R TENNIS RACKEI' HAVING A TUBULAR METAL FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1970 68 92 XIII I -I e2 2;; g

82 QLI.

FIG. 8

I I STRIP \IOO FIG. I6

INVENTOR. FRANKLIN W. HELD ATTOR N E Y S United States Patent US. Cl. 27373 C 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Racquetball and tennis racquets having frames formed of a length of metal, preferably aluminum, tubing or extrusion, the end portions of which extend parallel to one another and are welded together to form the handle and shaft portions of the racquet and the intermediate portion of which forms the frame of the racquet. The frame is completed by a throat piece which spans the diverging portions of the tubing immediately above the shaft. A slot is provided in the tubing along the upper half of the racquet to alter the response frequency of the frame so that it coincides with that of the ball. Holes are provided in the tubing of the racquet and in the throat piece to receive the racquet strings. Hollow rivets or bushings may be provided in these holes to prevent cutting of the strings by the edges of the holes. A length of rubber or plastic may be positioned in the slot of the frame to add weight to the racquet and for protective purposes.

This invention relates to racquetball and tennis racquets and more particularly to such racquets whose frames are constructed of metal tubing.

While heretofore racquets have been constructed of metal tubing, such racquets have certain disadvantages when compared with conventional wood framed racquets. Among these disadvantages, is the fact that prior metal racquets do not have the same response characteristics as wood framed racquets. Thus, if a ball is struck ofi center, the metal-framed racquet has a dead feel.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a metal-framed racquet which has desirable response characteristics and a live feel, regardless of whether the ball is hit on or off center. In accordance with the principles of the invention this is accomplished by providing a slot along a portion of the tubing forming the frame of the racquet which alters the frequency response of the racquet and, in a tennis racquet, by providing a novely shaped frame which further enhances the response characteristics of the racquet.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a racquetball or tennis which is of durable construction. This is accomplished, in part, by utilizing the above-mentioned slot to position the portions of the strings running along the edge of the frame in a location where they are not likely to contact the playing court.

The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawings wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an aluminum frame tennis racquet constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention;

FIGS. 2-7 are fragmentary sectional views taken along the lines IIIIVI'IV1II, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an aluminum frame racquetball racquet constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention;

FIGS. 9-13 are fragmentary sectional views taken 3,664,668 Patented May 23, 1972 along the lines IX-IX-X I HXIII, respectively, of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the upper portion of a racquet and showing an alternate method of forming the slot; and

FIGS. 15 and 16 are fragmentary sectional views taken through the unslotted and slotted portions of a racquet frame, respectively, and showing a further modification of the invention.

As will be seen from FIG. 1, the frame of the tennis racquet is formed of a length of aluminum tubing, des ignated generally by the reference numeral 10. Preferably, the tubing is Vz inch outside diameter extruded aluminum tubing. The opposite ends 12 and '14 of the tubing length 10' extend in straight, contiguous relationship to one another, forming the lower shaft 16 and handle 18 portions of the racquet. These straight portions 12 and 14 are joined to each other, preferably by welding, along their contiguous lengths. Immediately above the lower shaft portion 16 the tube portions 12 and 14 diverge from one another, as indicated by the reference numeral 20, and extend upwardly to form the sides 22 of the racquet. The uppermost portion 24 of the tubing 10 may be either round or substantially straight along the principal portion of its length and curves downwardly at each end to continue as the side portions 22 of the frame. The right and left halves of the frame are, of course, symmetric about the axis of the shaft portion 16. The frame is completed by a throat piece 26 which is secured to the diverging portions 20 of the tubing 10. As will be seen from FIG. 3, the throat piece 26 is formed of a length of aluminimum bar stock which is curved to the outline of the frame and tapered at its ends to fit against the tubing 20 and is secured by means of hollow rivets 28 passing through holes in the throat piece 26 and in the tubing 10, or it could be welded into position.

A slot 30, preferably inch wide, is cut in the upper half of the side portions 22 of the frame and along the entire upper portion 24 of the frame, leaving a C- shaped cross-sectional portion forming the upper end of the frame. The slot preferably is aligned with the plane of the racquet and is on the outside edge of the tubing 10. I have found that by providing the slot 30 along the upper portion of the racquet in the position shown and described, the response characteristics of the racquet are altered sufiiciently so that the racquet has a live feel on impact with the ball, regardless of whether the ball is hit on or off center.

The side portions 22, the upper portion 24, and the throat piece 26 of the racquet are all provided with a plurality of spaced holes 32, 34 for receiving the racquet strings 36 and 38. Rivets 28 having hollow centers 40 are provided in the holes 32 in the unslotted portions of the tubing 10. As described above, the rivets 28 also serve to secure the overlapped portions of the throat piece 26 to the diverging portions 20 of the tubing 10. These rivets 28 also serve to protect the strings 36, 38 from the sharp edges of the holes 32. The holes 34 in the upper portion of the frame and in the throat piece 26 are provided with nylon bushing 42 which have holes 44 extending therethrough and enlarged head portions 46 retaining the bushings in place. These bushings serve to protect the strings 36 and 38 passing through the holes 34 in the same manner as the hollow rivets 28 protect the strings passing through the holes 32.

It will be noted that the portions of the strings extending along the frame between adjacent holes in the upper portion 34 thereof lie at the bottom of the C-shaped tubing portion. Thus, these portions of the strings are protected from damage when the upper portion of the racquet frame 24 strikes the court surface. To further protect the strings and the edges of the slot 30 in the tubing there is provided a length of tubing 48, preferably of rubber, which is received within the slot 30. The tubing length also serves to absorb vibrations and to add weight to the frame.

The racquet is completed by the addition of a handle 18 which, as shown in FIG. 2, consists of a hollow sleeve-like member 50, preferably of wood, surrounding and secured to the tube ends 12 and 14 and a covering 52 over the member 50 to provide a comfortable and non-slippery gripping surface. The covering 52 may be a spiral leather wrapping or a tubular rubber grip.

FIGS. 813 illustrate a racquetball racquet constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. As in the tennis racquet described above, the racquetball racquet has a frame formed of a length of aluminum tubing 60 which has straight, parallel, and contiguous end portions 62 and 64 which are welded together to form the handle portion of the racquet. Immediately above the Welded portions 62 and 64 the tubing 60 is bent into diverging portions 66 which continue upwardly and curve in an oval shape to form the upper portion 68 of the racquet frame. A throat piece 70 spans the diverging portions 66 and com pletes the oval configuration of the racquet. Vertical and horizontal strings 72 and 74, respectively, are strung on the frame, the strings passing through holes 76 and 78 in the tube portions 55 and 68 and in the throat piece 70. A slot 80 is provided along the outer edge of the frame in the upper half of the racquet. As in the previous embodiment, rivets 82 having hollow centers 84 are received within the holes 78 of the unslotted portions of the tubing 60 and these rivets serve to protect the strings 72 and 74. The rivets 82 also serve to secure the throat piece 70 to the diverging portions 66. Bushings 86 are provided in the holes 78 in the slotted portion of the frame 68 and in the throat piece 70. These bushings have enlarged head portions 8-8 to retain them in place and holes 90 extending therethrough to receive the strings 72 and 74. In order to protect the upper edges of the racquet frame and to pro tect the walls of the playing court from being nicked or gouged when struck by the racquet, there is provided a plastic cap piece 92. This cap 92 may be a length of extruded plastic and preferably has grooves 94 along opposite sides so that the cap piece 92 may be snapped into the slot 80 in the upper portion 68 of the racquet frame. The cap 92 may be in addition to a resilient tube 48a which is tight or snug fitting inside the tube along the cut away or formed portion to add weight and absorb vibrations.

The welded together portions 62 and 64 of the tubing 60 are surrounded by a hollow wooden member 96. A covering 98, for example, a leather wrapping, is provided on the outer surface of the wooden member 96 and provides a non-slippery gripping surface for the racquet handle. A leather thong 100 is attached to the handle, extending from the lower end thereof.

It will be understood that changes may be made in and to the embodiments of my invention described above. The slot in the upper portion of the frame may extend along a greater or lesser portion of the frame. While the arrangement illustrated in which the slot extends along one half of the frame is preferred, the slot may extend along one-third to two-thirds of the frame. It should also be noted that the slot may be formed by collapsing a portion of the tubing, as shown in FIG. 14, rather than by cutting away the outer edge of the tubing. The tubing forming the frame may also be extruded to form an eliptical crosssection having an internal web as shown in FIG. and FIG. 16. Other means than the hollow rivets and nylon bushings may be used to protect the strings as they pass through the holes in the frame. Also, if desired, the throat piece 30 may be secured to the diverging portions 28 of the frame by welding rather than by the use of hollow rivets. Further, the invention contemplates that the racquet frame comprises the essence of the invention and that a 4 solid, or non-tubular handle could be used to still achieve the preferred objects of the invention.

As these and other changes may be made in the described embodiments of my invention reference should be had to the appended claims in determining the true scope of the invention.

As used in the following claims, the terms inner periphery and outer periphery refer, respectively, to the half cross section of the frame directed toward the center of the racquet and the half cross section directed away from the center of the racquet. For example, if the cross section shown in FIG. 7 were divided by the diameter which is perpendicular to the plane of the stringing, the left half cross section, when viewed as in FIG. 7, lies in the inner periphery of the frame while the right half cross section lies in the outer periphery.

What is claimed is:

1. A racquet having a head frame of generally elliptical configuration, a throat and a handle extending from the throat, the racquet being formed of a single length of metal tubing the end portions of which extend in parallel contiguous relation to form the handle, the portions of the tubing which form the handle, the throat, and the one-third to two-thirds of the head frame immediately adjacent the throat being hollow and having continuous inner and outer peripheries, one periphery of the tubing being discontinuous throughout the remainder of the head frame to provide a continuous slot therealong, holes being provided at spaced intervals in at least one of the continuous peripheries of the head frame, and the racquet including strings passing through the holes and extending within the confines of the head frame to define the hitting surface of the racquet.

2. The racquet according to claim 1 wherein the continuous slot extends along the outer periphery of the head frame so as to include substantially the entire portion of the curved end of the head frame opposite the handle.

3. The racquet according to claim 1 further including a length of resilient material received within the slotted portion of the tubing.

4. The racquet according to claim 1 wherein the tubing is one-half inch external diameter aluminum tubing and the slot is inch wide.

5. The racquet according to claim 4 further including a length of rubber tubing having an external diameter substantially equal to the interior diameter of said metal tubing, said rubber tubing being received within said slot in snug tight fitting relation.

6. A racquet, comprising:

a shaft;

a frame having a pair of first sections extending from one end of the shaft and diverging from one another and a second section joining the first sections to form a substantially elliptical racquet head, the shaft and frame consisting of a single length of hollow metal tubing, that portion of the tubing which forms the second section of the frame and which extends between points between one-third and two-thirds of the distance from the shaft to the end of the frame furtherest from the shaft having inner and outer peripheries, one of which is discontinuous throughout the second sections to provide a slot extending continuously along the section, the remainder of the tubing having continuous inner and outer peripheries;

a throat piece secured at its opposite ends to opposite sides of the frame adjacent the shaft, the frame and the throat piece being provided with a plurality of holes along the lengths thereof;

strings passing through the holes and extending within the confines of the frame and the throat piece; and

a grip surrounding and secured to the end of the shaft remote from the frame.

7. The racquet according to claim 6 further including a length of a resilient material received within said slotted portion of said frame.

8. The racquet according to claim 7 wherein said resilient material comprises a length of rubber tubing having an external diameter substantially equal to the interior diameter of said metal tubing.

9. The racquet according to claim 7 wherein the resilient material comprises an elongated extrusion having slots extending the length thereof and on opposite sides of the extrusion, the edges of the tubing along the cut away portion of the frame being received in the slots to retain the resilient material in place.

10. The racquet according to claim 9 further including a length of rubber tubing having an external diameter substantially equal to the interior diameter of said metal tubing, said rubber tubing being received within the slotted portion of said metal tubing and covered by said length of extrusion.

11. A racquet formed from a single piece of metal tubing formed so that the ends thereof lie in substantially parallel relation to form a handle and the center thereof is curved to a substantially elliptical shape to form a head with stringing woven therein;

a grip holding the ends of the tubing forming the handle together, and which racquet is characterized by said tubing forming said head being hollow with substantially continuous inner and outer peripheries along all but a portion thereof where one periphery is discontinuous to define a continuous slot in the head extending a distance of between one-third to twothirds the circumference of the head, and with the midpoint of the slot being directly opposite the ends of the tubing forming the handle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,171,223 8/ 1939 Robinson 27373 H 1,937,787 12/1933 Robinson 27373 H 1,676,051 7/ 1928 Robinson 27373 H 1,470,878 10/ 1923 Robinson 27373 D 1,541,828 6/1925 Larned 27373 H 2,164,631 7/1939 Abell 27373 H 2,552,020 5/1951 Tribelhorn 2737 3 C FOREIGN PATENTS 282,952 3/1967 Australia.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

27373 D, 73 H, 73 J, 75 

